Information

Short History

Thakores of Amod are the descendants of Raha Chand, also called Chudasama, of the Yadav family, who was the ruler of Vantholy, a village near Junagarh.

The gadi in Amod was established about the middle of fifteenth century by Singhji, a descendant of Harisinhji. Its original name was Mukballabad.

Thakores of Amod bear Hindu (Rajput) names, are Muslims by faith, of which there is an interesting history. It is recorded that in 1542 V.S. (A.D. 1486), Nagrana, the the ruler of Amod, was invited to Ahmedabad by Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah I (Mahmud Begada), the then King of Gujarat and having contracted friendship with that powerful monarch, embraced Islam. Mahmud Begada bestowed upon Nagrana the title of “Khan” as a mark of special favour and from that day, forth his descendants have been devout of the adherents of the new faith.

In the order of precedence he has the privilege of being the head of the Muslim Garasias in Gujarat, is head among the Thakores in the district of Broach, and second among the Sardars and Talukdars of Gujarat.

Predecessors

• Raha Chand, ruler of Vantholy
  • GENERATIONS
    • Rah Gangave, captured Junagarh and made large additions to his dominions.
      • GENERATIONS
        • Raha Ghariaji, defeated the King of Mevad, and made his son, Ratansinhji, the ruler of that country. He then established his power over Devgadh, Chanda, Hatta, Sagar, etc.
          • GENERATIONS
            • Dula Rana, invaded Mevad and wrested it from him. He subsequently proceeded to Mugipre Patan in the Deccan, and married a daughter of the King of that place. While on a pilgrimage to Broach on the Narbada, he went to the rescue of a Brahim residing in the village of Boova, whose beautiful daughter, the Bhil King had wanted to marry by force, and after killing the King, established a principality at Boova, which consisted of 242 villages.
              • Son (name unknown)
                • Harisinhji, added largely to his dominions, which extended as far as Ujjain in the east, and Navsari and Gandevi in the south. He subdued the Rajah of Rajpipla and made him pay an annual tribute of two horses, two gold armlets, five swords with shields, and five janjals (peculiar guns), on the Dasara day. He raised his arms against Mukhdaji Gohal, the ruler of Pirumgarh, and released him on his consenting to give him every year one horse, one armlet worth forty-five gold mohurs, seven buffaloes, and eighty saddles of broad cloth. As a measure of the power and possessions to which Harisinhji attained, it is mentioned that he had 72 elephants in his stables.
                  • Singhji, established his rule at Amod in 1436 A.D (qv)
                  • Sardevji, established his rule at Dahej.
• Singhji, Thakore Sahib of Amod, established his rule at Amod in 1436 A.D.
  • GENERATIONS
    • Nagrana (qv)
• Nagrana, Thakore Sahib of Amod, seventh in descent from Singhji, was invited to Ahmedabad by Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah I (Mahmud Begada), the then King of Gujarat and having contracted friendship with that powerful monarch, embraced Islam. Mahmud Begada bestowed upon Nagrana the title of “Khan” as a mark of special favour. This happened in the year 1486 of the Christian era.
  • GENERATIONS
    • Himatsinhji (qv)
    • Dipsinhji (qv)
• Himmatsinhji, Thakore Sahib of Amod, who ruled at the end of the eighteenth century, was a man of great learning and a liberal patron of Pandits and other scholars in Sanskrit and other languages. Among those encouraged by him was Kavi Jasuramji, whose treatise on politics in the Brija language is said to be very useful to Ruling Chiefs and others. He created a suburb, Himmatpura, after his name, and had also eleven Sardars under him. He extended the capital, and, although a Muslim was on cordial terms with the Peshwas. He died in 1784 A.D.
• Dipsinhji, Thakore Sahib of Amod, married and had issue.
  • Abhaisinhji Dipsinhji (qv)
• Abhaisinhji Dipsinhji, Thakore Sahib of Amod, ruled over Amod in 1821, was a devout Muslim. Mountstuart Elphinstone, Governor of Bombay, in the course of his tour, halted at Sarbhon, a village in the taluka of Amod, when the Chief solicited an interview with him. The latter consented to receive him at 4 P.M., which was the usual hour for Abhaisinhji to sit in prayer. He had to forego the pleasure as the time did not suit him. On another occasion also he met with a similar disapointment. Highly impressed with the piety of the ruler, the Governor granted him audience between 12 and 2 P.M. He died in 1824.
  • Ajitsinhji¹Abhaisinhji died in 1824, leaving behind a son named Ajitsinh; but his nephew, Jasawantsinh, forcibly took possession of the gadi. Ajitsinh, established his claim, and was placed on the ancestral gadi by the Government of Bombay.
• GENERATIONS²After Abhaisinhji, there came four rulers, all of whom died young, a few years after their assumption of full powers. The last of them was Jaswantsinhji Chattarsinhji.
• Jaswantsinhji Chattarsinhji, Thakore Sahib of Amod 1858/1861, He married and had issue, two sons.
  • Fatehsinhji Jaswantsinhji (qv)
  • Son (name unknown)
• Meherban Rana Shri Fatehsinhji Jaswantsinhji, Thakore Sahib of Amod 1861/1901. During the reign of his predecessors, the State became heavily involved owing to a protracted litigation, and repeated warfare. It was in the charge of a Manager for seventeen years, from 1871 to 1888, and the debts were paid off. He abdicated in favour of his grandson, Narsinhji, in 1901, as there was some chance of the succession being disputed, to obviate which he did this. He married and had issue. He died in 1909.
  • Ishwarsinhji Fatehsinhji, married and had issue, two sons. He died 30^th December 1896.
    • Naharsinhji Ishwarsinhji (qv)
    • Jitsinhji Ishwarsinhji
• Hon’ble Meherban Rana Shri Naharsinhji Ishwarsinhji alias Nawab Nasrullah Khan, Thakore Sahib of Amod 1901/1945, born 4^th April 1877. His education was attended to with a great deal more care than is usual among the sons of the landed aristocracy of Gujarat, though owing to weak eyesight he had to be withdrawn from school earlier than he liked. But his private studies were continued under the guidance of a capable tutor. For a period of five years before his installation, his distinguished grandfather trained him personally in the several departments of the administration. He was confronted immediately on his accession by the severe task of meeting one of the greatest famines that ever afflicted India and Gujarat in particular. The strain upon the finances imposed by this famine was so great that with the utmost care and economy it took five years for the Thakore Saheb to restore them to a sound condition. He had, however, the satisfaction at the end of 1908 of seeing the State debts completely wiped off, after remitting about Rs. 80,000 of assessment in the interests of the poor cultivators. He was a Member of the Bombay Legislative Council for 9 years, and the Legislative Assembly of Delhi for four years from 1931. Visited Italy, Switzerland, France, England and Scotland in 1933 where he studied the problems of County Councils and Agriculture, and was presented to His Majesty the King. He was Honorary 1st Class Magistrate for many years and President of the Broach District Local Board for some considerable time. He took a lively interest in the spread of education and Islamic philosophy and always stood for Hindu-Muslim Unity and sound liberal politics and social reform. He married the daughter of the Thakore of Nehpad in the Kaira District, and had issue, one son, and four daughters. He died on 17 April, 1945 at the age of 70.
  • Jaswantsinhji Naharsinhji (qv)
  • Kumari (name unknown)
  • Kumari (name unknown)
  • Kumari (name unknown)
  • Kumari (name unknown)
• Meherban Rana Shri Jaswantsinhji Naharsinhji, Thakore Sahib of Amod 1945/-

Note(s)

• 1
  Abhaisinhji died in 1824, leaving behind a son named Ajitsinh; but his nephew, Jasawantsinh, forcibly took possession of the gadi. Ajitsinh, established his claim, and was placed on the ancestral gadi by the Government of Bombay.
• 2
  After Abhaisinhji, there came four rulers, all of whom died young, a few years after their assumption of full powers. The last of them was Jaswantsinhji Chattarsinhji.